The Faults of Our Fathers
by sconesRtasty
Summary: Jamie is ready to take on her first year at Hogwarts. Her cousin Riley is anxious but still excited. And their new friend Distell is just looking for a new beginning. As their school careers begin at the famous school of magic, victories and failures bring them closer together and ready for adventure. Next generation Harry Potter, genderbent! Please read its better than it sounds!


**JAMIE**

"Hey Riley," I said, sitting next to my cousin as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Platform 9 3/4.

"Hi-a," he said, looking up from his book at me. Physically, my cousin Riley Weasley looked a lot like his dad, my Uncle Ron. They both have a large mop of red hair that makes them stick out in a crowd, and I swear their freckles are in the exact same places. But if you want to talk smarts, Riley definitely takes after Aunt Hermione. He probably got that book from her.

My name's Jamie Potter. Yep, you heard right. Harry Potter's oldest daughter. Not all that exciting, really. I got my dad's untameable hair, yeah, and his horrible eyesight (I made sure my glasses were distinguishable from his, though. I tend to lean towards the square, thicker rims. Like Ray Bands. I like Ray Bans...), but I got my mum's face. Same blue eyes, same dash of freckles across my nose, and her same smile. That's how you can really tell I'm her daughter. When we grin, we got dimples in the same places and teeth at all the same angles. So yeah, I got Harry Potter's hair, but I got Ginny Weasley's smile.

"You excited to finally be on our way?" I asked, grinning at my cousin. Riley's face broke into a smile as he nodded.

"Oh, yeah!" He said. "Kind a anxious, too. The first thing they do with first years at Hogwarts is sort them into houses, and I'm not sure I want to be in front of the whole school like that, you know, Jamie? I'm not even sure what house I'm gonna get into!"

I looked at him with a doubtful smile. Knowing both the Weasley and the Potter house placement history, we could probably both guess what house we were going to land in. I was opening my mouth to tell him so when the sound of the sound of the train's car door opening caught my attention. My cousin and I looked towards the new comer.

A girl our age with bright emerald eyes and a mischievous yet charming smile looked back at me. She had platinum blond hair that was choppy and uneven, dramatically parted to one side so most of it fell over her left shoulder. She grinned at me. "These seats taken?" she asked, nodding towards the empty seat across from us.

Riley shook his head. "No, help yourself."

"Thanks," the new girl said, walking in and hefting her trunk and owl cage above her seat. "All the other cars are either taken or filled with older years."

"Yeah, the older years aren't very nice to first years," I agreed with a nod. I had only just experienced things of the sort while getting on the train. Some fourth year knocked my trunk on its side while walking past and told me to watch where I was going. None or the other years offered to help me get it back up.

The girl smiled at Riley and me again before falling into her seat. "I'm Distell," she said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Riley. Riley Weasley. And this is my cousin, Jamie Potter." Riley said.

Distell raised her eyebrows. "Your one of Harry Potter's kids?" She jabbed a finger towards me, her eyes full of curiosity.

"Yeah."

Distell nodded. "Cool," she said, running her fingers through her hair and throwing it to one side of her head. "Where ya guys coming from?" And so the rest of the train ride went something along the lines of that. By the time the snack lady came around (Riley bought four chocolate frogs, he's always had a thing for the cards. Distell and I decided to share a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans), had dressed into our robes (Riley and I both had gotten brand new ones. We're both the oldest, but no doubt Albert and Riley's little sister Rosie will be getting these when we've grown out of them), and had unloaded from the train, Distell could have attended one of the Weasley family reunions and name off everyone in the room, plus their favorite color. And all I had learned about her was that she was an only child and she had an eagle owl named Snitch.

After an all-too-quick meeting with Hagrid and boat ride across the lake, Riley, Distell and I found ourselves in a large group outside of the great double doors of the Hogwarts castle. A woman that both Riley and I recognized as Minerva McGonigal came out the doors carrying a long piece of parchment and called out, "Alphabetical order, please, alphabetical!"

Once we had all arranged ourselves, Professor McGonigal finally led the long line of students into the Great Hall itself. I felt my mouth open a bit at the sight. Four long tables, red, blue, yellow and green, took up most of the hall. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Another long table was at the front, facing the students, where the teachers all sat. The ceiling was enchanted to reflect the sky outside; tonight, it was covered in a blanket of stars that twinkled brightly. I thought for a moment the stars had been enchanted to look brighter, too, but soon realized that the light was actually coming from the hundreds of candles that were suspended in mid-air above everyone below them.

McGonigal had lead the line into the Hall from the back, so the Zs where at the front, and the A's at the end. That put Riley only fifth in line, while I was only three people away from Distell. I couldn't help but wonder what Distell's last name was. Maybe it started with an L. She was just before Jennifer Links...

"Zalston, Jonathan!" Professor McGonigal read off from the long piece of parchment. A frightened looking boy with brown hair nervously walked to the center of the platform, where he sat down on a wooden stool and McGonigal place a little worn wizard's hat on his head. After a few seconds of silence, a tear along the brim of the hat opened like a mouth and from it, a loud, booming voice bellowed, "HUFFLEPUFF!". The table full of students dressed in yellow and black cheered as Jonathan walked to their table and was greeted warmly by his new house-mates. "Yekele, Morgan!" And so the sorting continued. I waited while three other first years got sorted (a Ravenclaw and two Slytherins). Then it was Riley's turn. "Weasley, Riley!" I could see my cousin take a deep breath before walking towards the stool. Once there, the Hat was placed on his head. He never told me what the Hat had told him, but after a few seconds the tear opened and shouted, "GRYFFINDOR!"  
Riley stood up with a smile on his face and went to join the throng of red and gold. The first Gryffindor this year. And by the time that the kid in front of me was deemed another Ravenclaw, about eight or nine kids had joined him at the table. Then it was my turn.

As McGonigal place the Hat on my head, I felt the deep voice Dad had told me so much about before vibrate through my mind. "Ah, Jamie Potter. Coming from a great family of Gryffindors. I think we both know what house you'll land in. Any objections, my dear?"

I didn't even hesitate. 'No', I thought out to the Hat.

"Very well then. GRYFFINDOR!" the Hats voice echoed through the Great Hall. McGonigal removed the Hat, and I stood and joined my cousin at the Gryffindor table.  
The Sorting Hat placed two others into their houses (another Slytherin and a Hufflepuff). Then came McKayla O'Konner. Hat had barely touched McKayla's head before yelling, "RAVENCLAW!"

Once the cheering a from the blue table died down, Mcgonagall looked back down at the parchment. "Malfoy, Distell!" I gave a small gasp and looked at Riley next to me. He looked at Distell, then at back towards me, his mouth open in shock. We had just become friends with the daughter of the man Uncle Ron and my dad just possibly hated the most.

 **DISTELL**

Well, I guess I should start out the same way Jamie did. Yep. I'm Distell Malfoy. Draco Malfoy is my old man. I swear, though, I had no idea that those two were Potter and Weasley when I opened that train car door. When I found out, I figured I was stuck with them until the train stopped, and the only stories about them I had really heard were from Father, so I decided I would stick around and maybe get to know them a bit.

Unfortunately, they were really cool. Hanging out with them had made me feel a bit guilty about my family's relations with theirs. I did my best to not drop anything that might give me away, but turns out they were gonna learn anyways. Along with the rest of the school.

And yes, I do know that I come from a pureblood family of Slytherins. No duh. My family has a tenancy to remind me about that everywhere I look. So, yeah. I'm expected to be a Slytherin. So what? I'm total cookie cutter for it, yeah, but I gotta let the Hat do its job. Maybe I won't fit for Slytherin...

I could hear a few murmurs in the crowd as my name rang out through the Great Hall. They knew who I was (or, more importantly, who my dad was) but I wasn't gonna let that change anything. I lifted my head high and squared my shoulders, then walked towards the little stool. I felt the professor lady gently set the Hat on my head, then everything was quiet. The Hat was kinda big for my head and slid down a bit, covering my eyes. Once everything was quiet AND dark, I heard the Sorting Hat's voice echo through my head.

"Well, well, well," the deep voice said. "Another Malfoy, eh? Interesting, it seems only last year I sorted your father into Slytherin. And his father, too. And his mother, and her father, and... well, you get the point. But something tells me you're different." The Hat's voice paused. "Well, let's see."

I could almost feel the invisible hands poking and prodding my brain. "Hm." The Hat said. "Well, you're quite bright, but I'm not sure you have the attention span of a Ravenclaw." More poking around. "And I don't think you're quite... _kind_ enough to be a Hufflepuff." The prodding paused. "And yet," the Hat said, "you do seem to have the bravery of a Gryffindor." I could almost see the Hat tapping an invisible chin. "But not putting you in Slytherin would feel like a waste. All family excluded, you do have the potential for a marvelous Slytherin. Quick witted, cunning, rebellious. And yet..."

What sounded like a small sigh sounded through my mind. "Your bravery rivals any other student that I've ever seen. Your remarkably loyal, and willing to sacrifice. Both your Gryffindor and your Slytherin legibility are equally matched." The Hat sounded... rather helpless. Another sigh. "I rarely do this, but I feel I have few choices here." The Hat said defeatedly. "Which would you prefer, child?"

I thought about the question. I hadn't really expected it to go like this. I thought that the Hat would just poke around for a bit (which he did, I guess) and then call out what house I would be in. I hadn't thought it would give me a choice. I thought about my options for another second before thinking, with all my might, my answer.

'Gryffindor'.

The Hat gave what sounded like a small chuckle. "Are you sure, child?" I would not second guess myself. I gave a mental nod. "Alright then, we'll have to place you in... GRYFFINDOR!"

The Sorting Hat was lifted off my head and I opened my eyes to see an equally quiet Great Hall. You could hear a pin drop across the dead silent room.

Then the room erupted.

Both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw cheered loudly, while Slytherin clapped slowly, as if confused. But the whole Gryffindor table was standing, their cheering rivaling the rest combined. In some sort of daze, I stood from the stool and walked down the steps to my new house table. A few older years greeted me there, slapping on the back and placing me down in between Jamie and Riley. I looked up and down at the throng of red and gold and felt a smile start to spread across my face. I was in Gryffindor. I was the first Malfoy to break the line of Slytherins.  
And boy it felt good.

 **RILEY**

Dad's gonna flip.

I'm not even sure which he will react to more; that fact that Malfoy's daughter is a Gryffindor, or that we're now friends. And Jamie, too. Dang it. What's Uncle Harry gonna think? I took a deep breath. It's alright, I won't be seeing either of them until Christmas, and that's still four months away. Until then, I'll just have to write to Dad. I should be okay doing that. Mum won't let him send a Howler, and maybe he can get used to the idea and cool down a bit before Winter Break. Another deep breath. It'll be fine.

I open my eyes to see yet another new Gryffindor join the table. Apparently that was the last of them. Professor McGonigal picked up the stool and the Sorting Hat and walked to the side of the stage and out of sight. Distell turned and beamed at me. Even though I was kinda scared about how my family was gonna take this, I couldn't help but smile back. Her smile was kind of contagious. Then everything went quiet as the headmaster, Professor Longbottom, stood and raised his wand high.  
Suddenly, all four tables were filled with food. Roasted chickens, ducks, and turkeys were surrounded by mounds of potatoes and shepard's pie. There were soups of every kind, and giant bowls of salad sat next to bottles of dressings. There was more food just on this one table than I had ever seen in my entire life.  
I ate and ate and ate until I was too full to take in anything else. Unfortunately that was when all the food disappeared and was replaced by desert.

* * *

Once the feast had ended and all the tables got up to go to their house dorms, the fourth year Prefects began herding the new Gryffindors out of the Great Hall and led them through the halls. We went up a few flights of stairs and made a couple turns, and the next thing I knew, we were at a dead end. The wall in front of us was completely taken up by a huge painting of a giant, fat lady. She tilted her head to look down at us. "Password?" She asked in a bored, droning voice.

"Patronus." The Head Boy of the Gryffindor house said. The Fat Lady gave a small nod, then her portrait swung open to reveal the entry to Gryffindor Tower. There were sofas and armchairs covered in red velvet surrounding a blazing fireplace, and tables sat next to great, towering bookshelves. A huge bulletin board hung on one side of the common room, where rules and information had already been posted on the great piece of cork that took up at least the entire wall. And a large banner with the Gryffindor lion emblazed on it hung from the ceiling, calling anyone who was coming through the entry to look upon at its red and gold glory.

The Head Boy turned and looked at all the new students. "This is the common room. You'll probably end up spending most of your time here. Meals are at eight o'clock, noon, and six. If you have any other snacking needs, I'm sure the house elves will be a happy to oblige. First years are a loud to stay in the corridors until seven thirty, but after that, you must be inside your house. The password changes every few days, so make sure to ask one of your Prefects or a friend if you are unaware of what the current password is. Our Head of House is Professor McGonigal, and she will be handing out your schedules tomorrow morning at breakfast." He looked at the Head Girl. "I think that's it." He said. "Your things will already be upstairs, so you'd better go and unpack. Girls dormitories are to the left, boys to the right."

"Well," I said as the group of first years began to break up, "I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow. Want to meet up before we go to breakfast?" Jamie and Distell both agreed and we arranged to meet up by the fireplace the next morning. With a final wave, I followed the group of guys headed up the stairs to the boys dorms.

 **JAMIE**

I turned towards Distell as Riley began walking away only to find that she was already at the base of the stairs. "Come on!" she said, waving up towards the dorms. I smiled and went to meet her, then we both jogged up the stairs.

When we got to the top, we found six doors, all numbered. We went through the door that had a large gold 1 painted on it. Six bunks arranged along the curve of the tower wall dominated most of the room. Along the headboards the new first year girls names had been magically painted in the same gold paint as the number on the door.

Three of the four other first years had already made it to the dormitory and were unpacking. Distell and I found our names written on two of the bunks near the door right next to each other. To my right was a pretty African girl with huge dark hair that surrounded her head like a curly cloud. To Distell's left was a petite girl with long black hair and bright blue eyes. She approached us almost immediately.

"Hi!" she said cheerfully,

"Hey!" Distell replied with the same level of perk.

"What's up?" I ask with a smile.

"My names Alexa," the girl said, falling onto her bed and bouncing a few times before settling, "and that's Hastia."

The girl on the other side of me smiled and waved at us. "Hello!" she said, coming around and sitting next to Alexa on her bed. "You guys excited to be in Gryffindor?"

I nodded my head and was about to say why when I finally got a good look at Hastia's eyes. They were a misty gray that seemed to look straight into my soul, like she knew exactly what I was thinking. Her mysterious smile accompanied her eyes perfectly, as if affirming that she could read my mind. They were mesmerizing and beautiful, but at the same time gave me a weird feeling of being exposed, like she could tell what was going through my head.

A taunting voice came from behind Alexa and Hastia. "Well, Potter and Malfoy, best buds." The voice belonged to a tall, skinny girl with light brown hair and hazel eyes who had a rather condescending air about her. She snickered. "What would dear old daddy think of you now?"

"Aw, put a cork in it, Cairo," Hastia called over her shoulder. Before Cairo could retort with some nasty comment, Hastia turned back towards Distell and me and asked, "But kinda along the lines of that, I thought all the Malfoys were Slytherins."

"They were," Distell said with a shrug. "Until now."

"Oh, I like you," Alexa said, pointing at her.


End file.
